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Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Rome, Italy

When in Rome... We found ourselves saying that a lot during our stay here. Should we get gelato? When in Rome! Splurge on a gourmet pizza? When in Rome! Should we rent a scooter? When in Rome! Haha, it seemed like that was our "excuse" for everything. We started thinking about why "when in Rome" actually originated in the first place. We discovered that the complete saying would actually be: when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, we'd tried to live up to that while we were here, and that is mainly why we felt we MUST rent a scooter! We may have spent a little more money than we had planned, so we tried to seek out only the "free admission" touristy things. And we couldn't have been any happier with that desicion. In our opinion, there is no better way to see Rome than zipping around the city on a scooter, amongst the many other local (of course) scootering Romans.

We arrived in Rome late in the evening and made our way to our air bnb. The apartment was in an excellent location (very close to the city centre, only a 30 minute walk from the colluseum) so immediately we felt the excitement of the city. To be honest, even though I looked forward to seeing the sights of Rome, I had been a bit weary about visiting such a busy, touristy spot during probably the hottest time of the year. We had also been warned many times of pick pockets and theives that seek out tourists. However, despite the crowds, we found Rome to be a great city to explore even if you have to do most by foot. The city includes some gorgeous cobblestone pedestrian areas but also has the excitement of a very "happening" city. The first day we did completely by foot and were able to visit the Vatican City ( we went first thing in the morning to avoid line ups. Had to wait just 10 minutes) and also many other stunning churches. What struck us about Rome was that you'd be walking down the street, and find that many of the exteriors of the churches would not do justice to wHat you would see inside. Stepping inside the Pantheon, and walking around the old Roman ruins was even better than we had imagined.

When we weren't taking in the historic sites of Rome, we were zipping around on our scooter. This was so much fun (I'm pretty sure I had a permanent smile on the entire time). We learned very quickly that the Romans don't always follow the rules of the road, so you definitely have to fend for yourself! There are also certain areas that only buses and taxi's are allowed to drive and if you break that rule, there are cameras that will snap a photo of your license plate. We were pretty cautious about these areas because of the hefty fine we could get. It was a sad afternoon when we had to return the scooter to the rental company... I wish we could continue scootering around Europe. But on the other hand, it's probably for the better that we get back to walking and bicycling because of all the Italian breads and pastries we've indulged in (the Italians love their pastries for breakfast!). Well, when in Rome, right?

1 comment:

I just found your Europe Series a few days ago. It inspired me to also pursue my dream of going to Europe someday. I might also do it solo like what you did. I really enjoy reading all your entries. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

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Currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Zack and Sarah are pursuing their passion for travel and adventure. This site is mainly somewhere that Sarah shares their latest travel stories and photography. Also, make sure to check out Sarah's creative endeavors by browsing her Etsy Shop (below), Sarah Reimer Designs. :)